Reactions to Romania and Bulgaria joining the Schengen Area

Romania and Bulgaria joined the Schengen Area on March 31

Mihaela Ignătescu, 01.04.2024, 14:00

After a 13-year wait, Romania and Bulgaria joined the Schengen area on March 31, but, for now, only with air and sea borders. At the 17 international airports, as well as in the 4 Romanian ports on the Black Sea, people coming from or travelling to a country from the free movement area will no longer have their travel documents checked.

However, the police can do random checks. Here is the Secretary of State in the Ministry of the Interior, Bogdan Despescu:

“These checks will be conducted for the purpose of detecting those who have fake travel documents, those who are banned from leaving the country, to detect the persons that are wanted, to verify compliance with the rules regarding minors, and to combat migration and human trafficking.”

The land routes of Romania and Bulgaria remain, however, for the time being, outside Schengen, due to Austria’s veto, attributed in particular to internal electoral calculations. From Brussels, the European Commission has given assurances that it will make every effort so that a favorable decision regarding land accession is taken this year.

To the criticisms of Vienna, which invoked the issue of illegal migration, the Commission responds that both Romania and Bulgaria have demonstrated a sustained commitment to ensuring adequate protection of the Union’s external borders and have played a constant and important role in the internal security of the Schengen area. “Romania, Bulgaria, welcome to the Schengen Area! Today is a historic day – for the people of Romania and Bulgaria and for all Europeans. Let’s continue to move closer together for a united, safe, and more secure Europe,” posted on X the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.

In Romania, from politicians to ordinary citizens, the entry, though partial, into the free movement area was warmly welcomed. “We have a clear and firmly assumed government plan for full accession to the Schengen area by the end of the year” – said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. “Romania’s full accession is irreversible, but this decision also depends on external developments and political situations that are not in Romania’s sphere of diplomatic action” – stated the Minister of the Interior, Cătălin Predoiu.

The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, said on the occasion: “Starting today (ed. March 31), the diplomatic and consular missions of Romania issue uniform short-term visas – Schengen visas. These will allow third-country citizens to travel directly from Romania and without additional steps, for tourist or business purposes, to the other states of the Schengen area.”

At the Otopeni Airport in Bucharest, the first flights that landed from the Schengen area were from Paris, Vienna, Hamburg, Rome, Zürich, Munich, Amsterdam and Geneva. Travelers were happy that they didn’t have to wait tens of minutes in the queue that used to form at the passport control counters. (MI)